Alternative Health

Alternative Health Options

Alternative Health is often what many people call holistic health. Generally, the two are one in the same. They incorporate traditional eastern health philosophies and methods, which focus on mind, body and spirit and standard western health and medical practices. In the last ten to fifteen years, alternatives to western medicine have been in increasing demand.

In the last few decades, many individuals have become more acutely concerned with their health. As they strive to educate themselves about general health, many have become interested in untraditional, non-western forms of medicine and forms of healthful living. This has lead to an interest in everything from Chinese herbology, teas and vitamin supplements, to chiropractic care, yoga, acupuncture, meditation and even energy work.

How does complementary and alternative medicine factor into alternative health?

Complementary and alternative medicine are often eastern or homeopathic alternatives to traditional western medical practices and cures. Complementary medicine is that sector of alternative medicine that works in conjunction, or along side conventional medical treatments. Because alternative medicine has only recently been introduced to the medical field as a viable alternative, many of the methods have not been tested scientifically.

As more studies come out about different procedures, many conventional medical doctors have become amenable to considering and eventually incorporating alternative medicine into their own practices. However, it is still true that pure alternative medicine is still considered the most dangerous form of alternative medicine because many of the methods have not been tested scientifically and they are often executed without the aid of a medical professional.

Why is meditation considered an aspect of alternative health?

In an of it self, meditation is a practice considered to have origins in Vedic Buddhism. However, what many call prayer is also a form of meditation. Technically, meditation is simply a form of focusing the mind and is often adopted as a daily routine to clear the mind and relax.

As interest has grown in the medical community about alternative health methods, so too, has the interest in meditation. Many studies have been done in recent years, which have shown that meditation can greatly reduce stress, which is increasingly believed to be one of the greatest factors of chronic illness. Along with reducing stress, meditation has proven a valuable method to control pain. There are even studies that show that meditation directly affects the metabolic system. As more scientists research meditation, more and more conventional medical doctors are embracing meditation and alternative health practices, in general, as great additions to conventional medicine.